The 30 Most Shocking Royal Family Scandals
The entire line of succession was changed because of one. đź‘‘
Every family has their secrets, and the British royal family is no different. Well, except for the fact that their secrets always seem to end up on the front pages of newspapers around the world, leaving their publicity teams to scramble. From an entire succession line swap to hushed bedtime calls with secret lovers, read on for the most scandalous PR nightmares from the royal family.
When King Edward VIII gave up the throne for love.
Edward VIII took the throne in 1936, but renounced it a year later so that he could marry Wallis Simpson. The American socialite was a two-time divorcée and when Edward proposed, and it set off social and political uproar. The Church of England forbade him from marrying a divorced woman, and he chose to abdicate the throne. This massive royal scandal changed the line of succession entirely, and 10-year-old Princess Elizabeth found herself the future Queen of England.
Edward VIII's friendship with Adolf Hitler.
As fans of The Crown know, Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle the Duke of Windsor and his wife Wallis Simpson were known to have many encounters with Adolf Hitler. British intelligence had reason to believe that Simpson was handing over information to the Germans from documents that Edward VIII did not secure. The British government went to extensive measures to keep their companionship hidden, but a document published in 1957 confirmed it.
When Prince Charles drank a cherry brandy.
At the age of 14, Prince Charles ordered a cherry brandy at a pub in the village of Stornoway Harbor. Little did the prince know, there was a tabloid reporter in the pub who overheard him order. A seemingly innocent prince recalled in an interview for Vanity Fair, “I said the first drink that came into my head, because I’d drunk it before, when it was cold, out shooting.” The incident became a royal scandal, appearing in headlines on almost every tabloid.
That time Prince Harry spent one day in rehab.
After admitting to his father, Prince Charles, that he’d tried marijuana on numerous occasions and participated in underage drinking, the 17-year-old Prince Harry was sent to a drugs rehabilitation clinic for a one-day stay. An official at St. James’ Palace said it was a way “to learn about the possible consequences of starting to take cannabis.”
And when Harry was photographed in a Nazi costume.
Prince Harry was spotted at a costume party wearing a Nazi armband. Clarence House quickly released a statement that read, “Prince Harry has apologised for any offence or embarrassment he has caused. He realises it was a poor choice of costume.”
That time Prince Harry got caught naked.
Photos of Prince Harry show him completely naked, playing a game of strip billiards in Las Vegas. The 27-year-old prince was on a break before he was set to serve in Afghanistan for the British Army. He said after the incident, “At the end of the day I probably let myself down, I let my family down, I let other people down. But it was probably a classic example of me probably being too much army, and not enough prince. It’s a simple case of that.”
When Princess Margaret fell in love with a married man.
The princess spent a lot of time with Royal Air Force Officer Captain Peter Townsend, and the two eventually fell in love. The catch? Townsend was already married. The scandal broke in 1953 when Townsend divorced his wife and immediately proposed to Princess Margaret. Sadly, the couple ended their royal engagement two years later, knowing they’d never get the fairytale ending of their dreams. This heartbreaking romance is portrayed in the Netflix series The Crown.
When Princess Margaret's divorce was very public.
After her split from former lover Peter Townsend, Princess Margaret married a photographer named Antony Armstrong-Jones. In 1976 they made their official split and Buckingham Palace put out an announcement that said, "HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and the Earl of Snowdon have mutually agreed to live apart. The Princess will carry out her public duties and functions unaccompanied by Lord Snowdon. There are no plans for divorce proceedings.” Her very high-profile divorce became official in 1978, and she became the first (but, not the last) royal to get a divorce since King Henry VIII in the 1500s.
When Princess Anne also fell in love with a royal staff member.
Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, was married to Olympic equestrian Mark Phillips for nearly 20 years before their divorce in 1992. The royal couple’s marriage had been described as a “joyless sham.” But, what ultimately prompted their divorce was when The Sun, a British tabloid, claimed it had anonymously received letters written to the princess. The letters were not published because the paper feared they’d be sued for copyright. But it was later announced that the princess had fallen in love with her one of her equerries, Timothy Laurence, who was a British Naval officer. After announcing her divorce from Phillips, Anne added that she’d be marrying Laurence.
When Captain Mark Phillips had a lovechild.
Her name is Felicity Tonkin. While still married to Princess Anne, Captain Mark Phillips had a one-night affair with an art teacher from New Zealand named Heather Tonkin. She became pregnant and had the baby, who is now the half-sister of Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips.
When Mark Phillips said he was dating a woman 28 years younger.
In 2012, word broke that Captain Mark Phillips, formerly married to Princess Anne, was seeing 35-year-old Lauren Hough, who is an American Olympic show jumper. He confirmed that he was leaving his wife Sandy and broke the news to his then 14-year-old daughter, Stephanie.
When Prince Charles dated Princess Diana’s sister before her.
Lady Sarah McCorquodale, who is Princess Diana’s eldest sister, is most famously known for having introduced her to Prince Charles. McCorquodale is said to have dated the prince briefly in the ’70s. Their romance quickly ended when she expressed that she’d never marry Charles “if he were the dustman or the King of England.”
When Princess Diana’s revealed her self-harm incident.
The “People’s Princess” said in an interview that she purposely threw herself down the stairs while four months pregnant with William, in an attempt to get Prince Charles’ attention. She had said he’d just rekindled his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, who we now know (and Diana knew) he was having an affair with.
When Princess Diana’s affair phone call was leaked...
In 1992, The Sun released the transcript of a recorded phone call between the Princess of Wales and her alleged lover, James Gilbey. She was still married to Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth at the time. In the conversation, Gilbey called Princess Diana by the pet name “squidgy” 53 times and told her he loved her. The affair was dubbed “Squidgygate” because of the nickname.
...And then Prince Charles’ sexy bedtime call was too.
Soon after, an Australian magazine released a scandalous transcript of a conversation between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. The phone call confirmed the rumors that the Prince of Wales was romantically involved with his lifelong friend Bowles. The incident was rightfully called “Camillagate.” It also revealed many dirty jokes that were exchanged between the two, including one about Prince Charles wanting to turn into a tampon in order to “live inside” Bowles’ trousers.
When Princess Diana and Prince Charles got divorced.
In 1995, Princess Diana agreed to an interview with Martin Bashir to discuss the pressures of being in the public eye. She spoke about her issues with bulimia and postpartum depression, and the princess also revealed that she knew about Prince Charles and Camilla’s affair, and even talked about her own love affair with her riding instructor, James Hewitt. The shocking interview led to their divorce in August 1996.
Princess Diana's tragic death in a car accident in Paris.
Diana's death made headlines around the world. Her boyfriend at the time, Dodi Al Fayed was killed alongside her in the accident, and coverage of his death uncovered several scandalous details. Al Fayed was the son of a billionaire, and was said to be engaged to former partner Kelly Fisher at same time he was dating the princess. That summer, Fisher filed a lawsuit against the family, claiming that Al Fayed allegedly “jilted her at the altar;” she dropped the lawsuit after Princess Diana and Al Fayed’s death in 1997. It was also rumored that members of the royal family did not approve of Al Fayed and the princess’ relationship.
When Sarah Ferguson’s “toe-licking” photo was released.
Sarah Ferguson (AKA Fergie) was married to Prince Andrew, Duke of York in 1986. In 1992, Fergie took a vacation with an American financial advisor named John Bryan, during which paparazzi captured images of him nibbling on her toes. Fergie and Andrew were divorced in May 1996 (one month before Charles and Diana).
When "Fergie" was accused of taking a bribe.
In 2010, a journalist went undercover as a businessman and offered Fergie £500,00 (about $633,000) in exchange for information about her ex-husband Prince Andrew, Duke of York. The Guardian reported that Fergie said to the reporter, “That opens up everything you would ever wish for. I can open any door you want, and I will for you. Look after me and he'll look after you...you'll get it back tenfold.” The Duchess later apologized claiming she had “a serious lapse in judgement.”
When rumors were flying that Prince Charles wasn't Harry's dad.
One of the more persistent rumors about the royals is that Prince Harry his not Prince Charles's son. While surely untrue, it was not secret that Princess Diana had several affairs during her marriage to Prince Charles. She confessed in an interview with BBC that she’d been having an affair with army officer, James Hewitt, and the internet still can’t get over the resemblance of the prince to Hewitt. However, Diana and Hewitt's affair began well after Harry was born.
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